WASHINGTON — Senators from both parties endorsed a $400 million increase to the budget of the National Institutes of Health on Thursday, in an Appropriations Committee vote that represents a clear rebuke of President Trump’s plan to dramatically reduce the agency’s spending.
The administration had proposed slashing the NIH’s budget for the 2026 fiscal year by $18 billion, a 40% decrease. The committee also retained all 27 NIH institutes and centers, rejecting a White House consolidation proposal, and rejected the administration’s plan to revamp the way NIH pays universities, medical schools, and other research centers for overhead costs.
The committee voted to report the appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies to the full Senate by a 26-3 count, with Republican senators in favor including Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell and South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham. While the final NIH budget is far from finalized, with both the House of Representatives and Senate still in the appropriations process, Thursday’s hearing offered a stark signal that Congress does not plan to go along with Trump’s plans to drastically shrink the nation’s top funder of biomedical research. The hearing also made clear that legislators were deeply concerned by and frustrated with the White House Office of Management and Budget’s efforts to encroach on Congress’ constitutionally mandated power of the purse.
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